3 Arrested In Suspected N. Calif. Poaching Ring

Horniac

Very Active Member
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Another reason our deer population is dwindling. Glad they got these guys!

Horniac



3 arrested in suspected N. Calif. poaching ring


The Associated Press
Posted: 10/27/2012 12:59:30 PM PDT
Updated: 10/27/2012 01:51:47 PM PDT

SACRAMENTO, Calif.?State game wardens on Saturday arrested three men in connection with a poaching ring that killed deer, elk and wild boar and then sold the meat to private buyers in Northern California.
The arrests culminated a two monthlong investigation, dubbed "Operation High Hog," by the California Department of Fish and Game, said department Lt. Patrick Foy.
The investigation was sparked by ranch owners in Colusa, Butte and Glenn counties who had complained of repeated poaching on their properties since mid-summer. Game wardens were never able to get to the outlying ranches in time to catch the poachers, but property owners were able to supply license plate numbers of the suspects' vehicles, Foy said.
Wardens put the suspects under surveillance that included use of airplanes to track their movements, Foy said.
The suspects were seen hunting at night using "spotlighting," or shining bright lights into the animals' eyes, effectively causing them to freeze so they could easily shoot them. They also used illegal snares, Foy said.
Surveillance also included the sale of the game meat to a market in Sacramento County and to a network of private buyers. Seven search warrants were served Saturday at the buyers' homes, where wardens found the meat in freezers, Foy said.
Arrested were Jason Martinez, 37, of Elk Grove; Bryan Carrion, 46 of Colusa, and Gerald Martin, 36, of Pollock Pines.
Foy said the men were all convicted felons
 
LAST EDITED ON Oct-29-12 AT 11:48AM (MST)[p]only problem is they're just a drop in a bucket... i have reported guys in these parts to no avail....
 
I agree, drop in the bucket but it helps. These poaching selling meat guys are very much a major negative influence on the game in the areas that they harvest. I'm told that they move around and work a lot at night. They can decimate a area of a healthy deer herd in a matter of weeks!

Also, i think the guy that tries to shoot a buck without using his tag and the guy who feeds his family, friends, and dogs with deer meat and no tags, both need to get caught and prosecuted. Days of this being "kind" of acceptable depending...are long past! Nice guy or not, these guys are illegally killing off what remains of our deer herds.

Joey


"It's all about knowing what your firearms practical limitations are and combining that with your own personal limitations!"
 
Wow, a commercial operation no less. I can't wait to hear the final outcome on this.

The buyers need to be severly dealt with too.

Eel
 
Wonder if the story/arrest was filmed for Wild Justice.

_____________________________________
"Life's tough. It's even tougher if you're stupid."

-John Wayne
 
Well......I am glad they were busted but it is no surprise that it happens. Probably easier than growing pot and IF you do get caught, the penalty has historically been "ho hum" at best....in this state.

As stated, convicted felons with guns could send the penalty in a totally different direction.

Some years back, we had a poacher/cattle rustler, who would shoot an animal.....deer, elk, and range cattle....., set up a tent over the kill and butcher it out and bury the evidence under his tent.

They actually only caught him with one butchered beef, electric meat saws, a generator and a 12x12 tent with the floor cut out......blood soaked.

He had a market for his "product" in the LA basin and was making as many as 3 trips a week, according to people who knew him........but NOT what he was actually doing.

It never really became public as to his fines, but we all thought the authorities basically told him, "You better stop doing that!"

"I could agree with you, but then we would both be
wrong......and stupid"
 

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